Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles

Name: Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
Genre: Documentary
Released: August 23, 2019
Duration: 92 min
Rating: 80
Cast: Austin Pendleton, Calvin Trillin, Fran Lebowitz, Harold Prince, Itzhak Perlman

2019

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Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Ratings

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Fiddler: A Miracle Of Miracles

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Movie Details & Credits

Roadside Attractions | Release Date: August 23, 2019 | PG-13

Starring: Austin Pendleton, Calvin Trillin, Fran Lebowitz, Harold Prince, Itzhak Perlman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michael Bernardi, Sheldon Harnick

Summary: The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving.

Director: Max Lewkowicz

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 92 min

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Critic Reviews

100

G. Allen Johnson

Aug 28, 2019

What makes it brilliant is that it demonstrates how universal this distinctly Jewish musical has become, how it has been embraced by many cultures and how it is still influential today. Read full review

Yolanda Machado

Aug 22, 2019

It’s the story of the conflict between Robbins and Mostel that unveils another layer of how the odds were truly stacked against the show. Read full review

Brad Wheeler

Aug 21, 2019

Toes will tap, a tear or two might be shed – a complex story about a deceivingly complex musical is adoringly told and ultimately simplified. “As long as humankind continues to have struggles,” asserts one talking head, “Fiddler on the Roof will be there.” File under: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Read full review

David Rooney

Aug 7, 2019

The documentary makes a persuasive case as to why this show — grounded very specifically in the lives of a persecuted Jewish shtetl community in 1905 Imperial Russia — continues to connect deeply with audiences across vast divides of religion, race, generation, personal experience and sexuality. Its layers of meaning to anyone who has ever felt ostracized alone have cemented its eternal relevance. Read full review

Peter Travers

Aug 21, 2019

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles makes itself essential viewing by chronicling the turbulent genesis of a global sensation. But its real miracle is demonstrating why it continues to entertain and illuminate, from Tokyo to a Brooklyn middle school where an African-American girl now plays the role of Tevye’s wife, Golde, and back to Broadway. Read full review

Josh Kupecki

Sep 11, 2019

It’s tradition versus modernity, it’s defiance in the face of oppression, but more importantly, the film speaks to how Fiddler on the Roof resonates time and time again, across generations, to the human condition. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Aug 23, 2019

An entertaining if hardly exhaustive overview of how the unlikely success came to be. The story it tells might easily have filled an engrossing documentary twice the length of this competent, not-particularly-inspired one. Read full review

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Beecee

Sep 3, 2019

This is a truly fascinating story about the origins and impact of the great musical, Fiddler on the roof. From interviews with the creators and actors to excerpts from early (often silent) Sholom Aleichem films to excerpts from various productions (including one from Japan), this takes onThis is a truly fascinating story about the origins and impact of the great musical, Fiddler on the roof. From interviews with the creators and actors to excerpts from early (often silent) Sholom Aleichem films to excerpts from various productions (including one from Japan), this takes on all aspects of the musical/movie. We also hear a song that was deleted from the musical during the pre-Broadway tryout in Detroit and learn about the feud between Zero Mostel and the director Jerome Robbins. I was particularly moved by the footage from Ukraine, including a view of the shtetl circa 1905 and a musical performance at the Sholom Aleichem Museum in Kiev. If you love Fiddler on the Roof, see this movie!… Expand

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GreatMartin

Sep 10, 2019

Whether you have never seen the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" or have seen it a thousand times you will see it in a different light when you see it for the first or thousand and first time!

The first time I saw the musical was the night after it opened on Broadway, September 23, 1954,Whether you have never seen the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" or have seen it a thousand times you will see it in a different light when you see it for the first or thousand and first time!

The first time I saw the musical was the night after it opened on Broadway, September 23, 1954, joining the long line and, luckily, getting 2 tickets for the first row mezzanine. Pepe, a refugee from Cuba, was in tears most of the show and I immediately put it on my top 10 list and yet I was not to see another stage production of the show until this past February when the stage revival appeared in Fort Lauderdale and I was, once again, completely taken in by it. Now I can't wait to see it in Miami October 29 after seeing this film today.

Currently there is a sold out production of the show done completely in Yiddish in New York and watching this film and a few segments of the musical done completely in Japanese it is easy to understand why people who don't know any language except their own understand all that is going on watching this show.

The movie ends with a note that "Fiddler on the Roof" is performed every day somewhere in the world and this movie shows why aside from the music. We hear from various actors who have played Tevye along with other performers but it is the behind the scenes that add so much to the dimension of the show. In spite of how nasty could be to everyone, including the book and music writers, Jerome Robbins is highly esteemed by all. Most give him complete credit for making the musical a hit.

The documentary by Max Lewkowicz takes an in-depth look at "Fiddler on the Roof" from all angles and shows why it is brilliant and explaining how universal it has become. We hear from the many who have played various characters in the show and people along with many who haven't had anything to do with any production and feel connected to it in various ways.

We see a high school production with Latin and Black teenagers playing all the roles, Lin-Manual Miranda and his father-in-law, at his wedding surprising his bride with a choreographed "To Life" by the wedding party, learn how Robbins came to do the bottle number, how the director Gurinder Chadha saw "Bend it Like Beckham" in relation to "Fiddler". We hear from Fran Lebowitz, Stephen Sondheim, Topel who starred as Teyve in the movie version.

We hear about Mostel's, the original Teyve, feud with Robbins, conversations with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Jerry Bock who wrote the music and Joseph Stein who wrote the book based on the stories by Sholem Aleichm plus Joel Grey who has directed the Yiddish version and Steven Skybell who plays Teyve. Harvey Fierstein, among the many who played Teyve on Broadway has said, "Fiddler" is a musical that speaks to the child, the parent and the older audience in different ways, all having been ostracized.

All the above is just a very few moments out of a fascinating hour and 37 minutes which also includes the why of the the Marc Chagall influence on the set designer Boris Aronson not to forget the bad reviews out of town or those from Variety and the New York Times when it opened on Broadway.

All in all I am very anxious to see the production in Miami next month after seeing the film!… Expand

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